Venice
by Miss Selah
Summary: She hasn't thought of him for days. He is trying to capture a wished-away. A plastic bag is tucked innocently away in the supermarket. It's raining in Venice. None of this has anything to do with anything else. But keep it in mind anyway...


Title: Venice

Author: Miss Selah

Summary: She hasn't thought of him for days. He is trying to capture a wished-away. A plastic bag is tucked innocently away in the supermarket. It's raining in Venice. None of this has anything to do with anything else. But keep it in mind anyway...

Rating: Teen

Genre: Romance / Humor

Pairing: Jareth Sarah

* * *

_Venice_

* * *

It's raining in Venice.

Cold, sleets of rain are pouring from the sky. This, in itself, is not unusual. Rain happens all the time, all over the world.

Rain is liquid precipitation. On Earth, it is the condensation of atmospheric water vapors in to drops heavy enough to fall, often making it to the surface. Rain is the primary source of fresh water for most areas of the world, providing suitable conditions for diverse ecosystems, as well as water for hydroelectric power plants and crop irrigation. However, not all rain reaches the surface; some evaporates while falling through dry air. This is called Virga, a phenomenon often seen in hot, dry desert regions.

Rain is also known or suspected on other worlds. On Titan, infrequent methane rain is thought to carve that moon's numerous surface channels. On Venus, sulfuric acid Virga evaporates 25 km from the surface. There is likely to be rain of various compositions in the upper atmospheres of the gas giants, as well as precipitation of liquid neon and helium in the deep atmospheres.

The METAR code for rain is RA.

There is nothing special, at all, about the rain fall in Venice, and it has absolutely nothing to do with our Villainous King and our Plucky heroine.

Still, please keep it in mind.

* * *

She is studying like the good girl she isn't, but is trying so desperately to become, and she is trying to pretend that she hasn't thought about him for days.

Almost days. If by days, you actually meant minutes. But this was, of course, not important at all, because, Sarah Williams figured, he was able to reorder time on a whim, so _minutes _for her were like _days _for him.

Sort of.

Kind of.

Well, not really.

She banged her head loudly against the desk when her pencil lead broke. It was her last one; she had lost her mechanical pencil earlier that week, and while lipstick was all well and good for marking Labyrinth cobblestones, she somehow doubted that her teacher would accept it as a viable writing implement.

Opening her desk drawer, she had hoped to find her sharpener on top of a neat little stack of paper, and that the cheery-yellow bright would inspire her to think of something _other _than dark corriders, looming castles, and heated, false promises.

To her dismay, she found that her drawer was, in fact, as it had always been. A perfect mess, crumbled pieces of paper, trash, with the strong scent of mildew wafting out. She dug through it for several minutes before she finally found what she had been searching for. Her pencil sharpener - broken, the blade hanging loosely from the socket.

Slamming the drawer shut, she groaned. Her only pencil sharpener, and now it was broken.

She would not be deterred! Standing with determination in her eyes, she made a grab for her coat, and glided down the stairs, yelling out her intentions to an empty, quiet house, and left silently in to the twilight. She was on a quest; and she would not be deterred until she was successful, and brought home a new pencil sharpener!

Which has nothing to do with our dastardly villain, who happened to be only three blocks away, facing a few troubles of his own...

* * *

"Look, it's not that I don't understand where you are coming from, I'm sure that you didn't mean what you said, but the fact is that what's said _is _said and I am afraid that your beast of an animal now belongs to me."

"And _I'm _just saying that if mom finds out that her Chihuahua is missing, there will be hell to pay. And to clarify, I _did _mean it - that thing is a menace." The young girl mumbled something under her breath that sounded a bit like _man's best friends my petunia..._

Jareth shivered, feeling something in the air curl and uncurl. Something was happening; a butterfly off the coast of Africa flapped it's wings, perhaps, and now a storm was brewing? He could never seem to tell beforehand, but hindsight _was _twenty twenty, which made him a lucky little duck as he had the unique ability to _go back and do it all over again. _Well, not _everything. _He thought furiously, but the curious case of Sarah Williams was neither here nor there, so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

"Well, if you want, you could always just run my Labyrinth, which is filled with dangers about every corner, huge looming towers, dark, perverted forests and enough beasties that go bump-in-the-night to make your head spin." He lifted the dog to his eye level. It growled at him furiously. "Of course, it is just a rat..."

"It's a _Chihuahua, _not a rat, and his name is Sputnik."

"Really? What a terrible name for such a gruesome beast. It deserves a name with a bit more danger thrown in, perhaps with a bit of romance. Yes; something like Jareth."

"Jareth is a horrible name." The young girl said, crossing her arms.

"What's your name?" Jareth asked.

"Elizabeth."

"Well, now I think that _your _name is terribly dull as well, but you don't see _me _going off about how your parents could have had at least a _little _bit of creativity when they spawned you." Sputnik turned in Jareth's grasp and fell to the ground, and then promptly darted out the wide-open front door. "Oh for the love of..." Jareth groaned, his eyes following the dog and _not _young Elizabeth, who had taken the opportunity to score a hit right in the Goblin King's shins.

"Sonuva..." Jareth grasped his left shin with both hands, glaring daggers at the thirteen year old, who was sticking her tongue out. "I'm calling the cops; you're a creep!"

Jareth looked at the girl hopelessly, and then at the disappearing tail of the Chihuahua, and sighed. _Some days just aren't your days, poor old chap._

_

* * *

_She was victorious.

Not that she was surprised; there was very little that yound Sarah Williams couldn't do if she set her mind to it. Dealing with an overbearing step-mother, changing the diapers of screaming babies, running an impossible Labyrinth in less than ten hours...

Not that she was thinking about it. After all, in _his _time, she hadn't thought about him in months.

"Paper or plastic?"

She blinked up at the cashier. "Plastic?" She answered, wondering why in the world she would need a bag for something as small as a _pencil sharpener. _Still, the cashier dropped it in the bag, and handed it to her, and she began the trip home, triumphantly.

* * *

_Ah,_ my fine readers, here is where things start to get interesting.

Here, I have three shells - a girl, a king, and a Chihuahua. I am placing the shopping bag under one of the shells... round and around and around they go... where they stop...

And don't forget about the rain, half a world away. Consider it factor 'X'

* * *

Sure, it wasn't the cheery yellow that her old one had been, but there was something nice about a blue one. Soft, soothing; she was sure that this pencil sharpener would be much better than its predecessor. In fact, she was absolutely certain of it, this pencil sharpener was destined for greatness!

Well, our poor, plucky heroine was _half _right. As she walked home, in the fading evening light, blue pencil sharpener of destiny in one hand, the seemingly useless plastic bag in the other, the street lights overhead flicked on. A breeze got caught in the bag. And a Chihuahua leaped out of the bushes and right in to the recently escaped bag.

The perfect timing off it all threw Sarah off guard.

The Goblin King, bursting through the bushes and capturing the Chihuahua, bag and all, simply froze her in her tracks.

* * *

Now, readers-mine, there aren't in fact very many moments were time actually slows; at least, not for us normal people. Things like that were everyday happen-stance for our beloved Goblin King. For Sarah Williams, however, the feeling was delightfully new. She seemed to capture every slow nuance. His expression, turning from one of childish victory to absolute shock, was something that she was glad to see in such minute detail. For once, the rug had been taken out from under him, and _damn, _but it felt good to be the one turning someone else's world upside down for once.

"Goblin King?" She asked, as time seemed to right itself. "What on _Earth _are you doing to that poor defenseless rat?"

The Goblin King righted himself quickly, and somehow managed to turn his nearly-a-tumble into something dangerously elegant. "It's a _Chihuahua, _you silly, _precious _thing. It's name is Sputnik."

"I see." Sarah still couldn't seem to find the ability to make her feet work, so she settled for not staring open-mouth in shock. "And how in the world did _Sputnik _find his way in to your oh so tender care?"

"I am sure you have an idea, my pet." In his defense, he pulled the poor beast out of the plastic shopping bag and held him as if it belonged there. "Wished away, of course, to the Goblin King." The insolent beast nipped at his fingers, and he glared down at it for ruining his otherwise perfect facade. "Though really, it is a wonder what it was doing so far from home; the terrible monster is obviously a Goblin of sort; I have no idea how it managed to escape to the above-ground, dearest."

"I... see."Sarah turned the pencil sharpener numbly in her hand.

"And what were you doing out so late this evening, Sarah-mine?"

"I am not... I was..." Sarah tried very hard to fight the blush that rose to her cheeks. "If you must know, I was on a quest."

"Ah, my Sarah, that is so typical of you. Brave, strong Sarah." When he said it, it almost didn't sound patronizing. Almost. "And were you successful in your endeavors?"

Sarah presented the blue sharpener. "Ta-da."

Jareth's grin was quick fast. "I expected no less from my brave heroine."

Silence dragged on between them, punctuated only by the whimpers, growls, and yips of the Chihuahua. It was an awkward silence, the silence of two enemies-past who had never really had bad blood between them. Now that her brother was safe, and now that there was no challenge for him to win, they seemed a bit uneasy in each others presence. They had been bound together by a wish half granted, and now that the spell was broken, Sarah found it difficult to ignore her painful attraction to him.

"You know... the girl that wished away this poor beast seems to have no intention of trying to save him."

"Really?" Sarah asked, edging a bit closer.

"It would be... _noble _of you to, you know, offer to take his place, or something." Jareth looked sky wards. "Barter, bargain, you know... being a heroine and all."

She grinned. "And being such a treacherous villain, I am sure that you would find some way to use my words against me, you fiend. No thank you, the dog can go and live its days with your beastly little goblins."

"Well, now, Sarah. That wasn't very heroic of you at all. Naughty thing." A chill shot down her spine. "Tell you what, my plucky little girl-child. I will let this poor thing free, if you will let me grant you a wish."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, that certainly sounds like a win-win situation, but somehow I wonder if you won't find a way to use it to your advantage."

"You wound me, Sarah-dear." Jareth bowed lightly, and then released the dog. "See? I let him go."

"Being a hero now, are we?" Her voice was more than a little skeptical.

"Ah, you always did cut me to the quick." He was close now, too close, but her self-preservation instinct had yet to kick in, so she let him be. It was... nice, not having to worry about triffles like the cleaners or the bog. "Why would you think that I would wish you any harm?"

His voice was sweet and chocolate, and she knew better than to be dragged in to this conversation. Still... "Why would you _want _to grant my wishes?"

The ends of her hair were in his gloved grasp now, and she found his softened gaze a bit disarming. "I've told you before Sarah-mine. I would love nothing more than to give you your dreams."

They stood there in comfortable silence for a few minutes more in an awkward silence that became somewhat... companionable, before she spoke.

"Well, then, what's the point?"

"Beg pardon?"He asked, his hands stilling.

"What's the point? Dreams are important because they are something to strive for... something that you have to struggle for in order to obtain. If all of your wishes just came true, then what would be the point? There would be nothing to aim for, nothing to fail at, nothing to _win._" She looked at him approvingly. "I'm sure you of all people can appreciate that."

He was silent for a minute, and she wondered if she had angered him. Then, unexpectedly, he threw his head back and _laughed._

"Oh Sarah dear, will you never cease to amaze me?" Smiling, he pulled her close. "One wish- for the laugh. Something silly, I am grow weary of being so _serious _in your presence."

And, because she could feel the sincerity in his pose, she obliged him this once.

"Fine. I wish for rain." She smiled softly. "It hasn't rained since that afternoon, and I've _missed _it." _I've missed you._

_"Oh, _precious, then a fine rain you shall have!"

A moment later, they were in Venice.

Head turned towards the same sky, she hardly noticed the change in the scenery, nor the quiet, foreign whispering that had erupted around their sudden arrival. "Oh _Jareth, _it's _magic!_"

His smile seemed a bit pained, and when she looked at him, she could feel the sorrow the resonated just beneath the surface.

She smiled, and grasped his hands. "Would you like a wish as well?"

His smile returned, briefly. "Why, Sarah-mine, I wasn't aware you were in the profession of granting wishes."

"Well, I can't make it rain, or transport you to far off lands, but I will see what I can do."

He stood, deep in thought, and the rain seemed to wash away all of her misconceptions about him. He _could _be generous. He _could _be sweet. He _could be..._

_"_I think I should like a dance, Sarah-mine."

There was no hesitation. She reached her hand out to grasp his, and she wondered briefly how many had dared to do so before. She could feel his loneliness so well she was almost sure she could taste it as they spun around and around in the busiest square of Venice, giggling like children in the rain.

And, because it was such a magic moment, he whispered a spell. "_Come away, oh human child..." _

Her feet stilled, and she looked down sadly. "I _cant._"

Just like that, the magic was broken. "I see." He whispered dangerously.

She immediately realized her folly. "I want to, more than anything, but can't you see that I can't? I have a life, a family... here, above ground. It would be like asking me not to breath." If he understood her reasoning, he made no show of it. "Don't you think I want everything handed to me on a platter? I mean, honestly, who doesn't? But I have learned something from my visit to your Labyrinth. You can't have everything. Yes, I won my brother back... but..." _but I lost you._ Her mind whispered sadly.

"I understand." Jareth told her. And he did. Petulant ruler he may be, but he did understand. "You are but a child, of course."

She snorted. "Of course." As if that had ever mattered to him.

"And you must be allowed to grow up." The world melted around them, and she was on her front porch, dripping wet from the rain that no longer existed. "May I come to see you?"

She smiled. "I would never forgive you if you didn't."

He nodded. "And I want you to understand this now; I have every intention of having you."

_Whoosh. _That certainly did things to her belly.

"But..." His smiled was nearly as soft as his touch. "What fun would it be if I didn't have to work for it?"

He started to vanish, and Sarah smiled. "I lied before, you know."

"Really?" She could scarcely feel his hands in hers.

"You _do _have some power over me, you know."

But he was gone, the only thing left of him the smile in his voice. "_Such a pity..." _

She stared long in to space before sighing like a lovesick child, she turned back to her stopped.

"AGH! HE TOOK MY FRICKIN' SHARPENER!"

* * *


End file.
